An Old Friend
by daisygirl101
Summary: A surprising twist in Nancy and Ned's relationship causes Nancy to stumble into an old friend, who was also affected by this relationship twist. The wonders of running into an old friend are better than any relationship drama, especially for Frank and Nancy.


So I finished reading Secret of the Nile in one day :3 Oops. I'd read it again though! I LOVED IT.

This one has been sitting on the drawing board for a while. It just hasn't gotten anywhere until now.

I recently took a huge ax to my drawing board and cut about 15 fanfiction ideas down to 9. Luckily for this oneshot, it made the cut and became something more than a sticky note with an idea on it!

Disclaimer: Nancy and the Hardy's aren't mine. Sadly.

* * *

I tapped my fingers nervously on my knee as my plane touched the ground. The captain announced our arrival in Bayport, New York. I had been waiting for this trip for a long time. With Ned going to school in Bayport now after transferring from Emerson, I hadn't seen him in months; I'd missed him a lot.

_Speaking of people you've missed a lot… _I shut my brain off before any thoughts about the only other guy to catch my eye popped into my head. I was here to see Ned. There was nothing going on between _him_ and me. Ned was my boyfriend, Callie was his girlfriend. That was that.

Still, I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Frank and Joe Hardy. We'd fallen a bit out of touch over the last few months, much to my distaste. Last I'd heard, Frank was dating Callie still, and Joe was happy with Vanessa, who I very much liked. Callie, on the other hand, was a bit of a pain in my neck.

_Whoa Drew, who cares? You're here to see Ned. _Only_ Ned._ I nodded with my thoughts and unbuckled my seatbelt. I reached up and yanked my suitcase down. After all those years of losing my luggage, I learned my lesson. I walked down the jetway and into the terminal.

When I reached the curb, a familiar car awaited me with an amazing guy leaning on said car.

"Ned!" I screeched. He smiled and opened his arms to me. I ran to him, leaving my suitcase on the ground in the process, and leapt into his open arms. He laughed and squeezed me tightly. I tilted my head up and kissed him. To my surprise, he was the one to break off our kiss. I thought nothing of it when I saw his smile.

"It's good to see you Nancy," Ned said and took my suitcase to load it into his trunk. I hopped in the passenger seat of his car and buckled up for our drive back to his apartment. On the way, Ned filled me in on the events of the previous few months. School was going well. He seemed to like all of his professors. His roommate was a really nice guy and a pleasure to be around, but still had a fun-loving spirit.

As Ned described his roommate, I found my thoughts wandering to another brunette guy. Compared to Frank, Ned was a fun-killing stick in the mud. Although I always appreciated Ned's concern for me, and how protective he was, it sometimes was a little _too _much. Frank always understood. He was protective, but he knew that I was a strong woman who could be independent. Ned seemed to lack that quality.

Our jobs had also been keeping us apart too. With my detective work taking me across the country, and, on occasion, across the globe, I spent most of my time away from home. Ned had been busy earning his degree in marketing, hoping to resume selling insurance as a full time job instead of only a summer one. I had decided to continue as a detective, but there was a possibility of opening my own agency with my dad's help someday. For now, it was mostly taking jobs from friends or helping with dad's cases.

My train of thought stopped as we pulled up to Ned's apartment. I unclicked my seatbelt and stood from the car, grateful to stretch my legs again. Ned grabbed my bags from the back and I snatched my purse from the front seat.

"I can take my bags," I offered. Ned shook his head.

"Nonsense Nancy. I've got it," he returned with a smile. I smiled, but a few red flags went up in my brain.

If there was one thing Ned _never _did, it was calling me 'Nancy'. It was _always _'Nan', or 'Nance', or some other pet name. _He seemed extremely tense earlier as well. Probably just stressed from schoolwork, _I thought. And it was just a name; it didn't mean anything.

We walked into Ned's apartment moments later. It was an average size for an apartment. There was a small kitchenette on the left and just ahead was a couch with a small TV in front of it. To the right, there were two doors that each led off into bedrooms, both containing one bed, a nightstand, a door to a closet, and a bathroom door to a Jack and Jill bathroom. The walls were cream and a few pictures adorned them. It was rather dull, in my opinion. Ned placed my bags in his room by the bed.

"If you'd like, you can stay in here and I'll take the couch," Ned offered. I raised an eyebrow. We'd slept in the same bed before, and the bed was clearly big enough for both of us to sleep in it.

"I don't mind sharing a room," I replied and set my purse down on the bed. Ned smiled in reply. He opened his mouth to say something, but the ring of his phone stopped him. He pulled out his phone and his face almost paled when he saw the screen. This either meant that the upcoming call was going to be unpleasant, or it meant that something else was going on here.

"If you'll excuse me," Ned said and stepped out of his bedroom to take the call. I felt as if he should've known better; after years of detective work I could strain my ears enough to the point where I could hear anything and anyone else in the apartment.

Ned picked up with a hesitant hello. There was a pause.

"I thought I told you not to call right now... yes, I'll do that… ok, that sounds fine… yes, she is… ok, you too. Bye," Ned walked back to the room and I walked away from the door and back to my suitcase. I pretended to distract myself with unpacking.

"Who was that Ned?" I asked sweetly, trying not to sound too suspicious.

"Oh, my roommate. He knew you were coming this weekend and wanted to stay out of the way. But we have a project to work on, and he wanted to meet up at the coffee shop he works at sometime soon so he could help on his breaks. Nothing to worry about," Ned reassured with a smile. "Say, how about we go across the street to the park? We could watch the sunset, and I'd love to hear all about what I've missed," he said as he grabbed his coat. I guess I didn't have a choice. I nodded with a smile and snatched up my purse and a jacket.

As we walked, there was a silence between us, but I couldn't quite place what kind of silence. It was a mix of a companionable silence with a dash of discomfort and a hint of tension. I knew he hadn't called his roommate. For one thing, his roommate didn't work in a coffee shop. He worked as a mechanic's assistant downtown, according to the schedule hanging on the fridge. And why the paled face if it was only his roommate? Something was _very _off here.

Ned and I sat down on a bench together, hand in hand. We made small talk about our lives and I passed on the gossip of River Heights.

"Oh! Speaking of River Heights, I was supposed to call my dad when I got in," I explained and reached into my purse for my phone. I felt around for a while, but the memory of plugging into a wall charger came rushing back. "Oh, I must've left my phone back at your apartment. I'll go grab it real quick." Ned stood too. "Oh, I don't mind walking the short distance."

"Nancy, I don't mind either," Ned said with a smile. I shook my head.

"No, we've got a nice view of the park from this bench. I'd hate to lose it to another couple," I said with a smile. Ned nodded and handed me the keys, seeming to fall for my excuse. I kissed him before walking back across the street to his room.

When I stepped inside, I noticed the roommate was home, but he was sound asleep on the couch. I snuck in quietly and closed the door behind me. I tiptoed into Ned's room and bent down to pick up my phone. I suddenly heard footsteps coming toward the door.

"Hey, I thought you were meeting Ned in the park, Cal-" His sentence stopped when he saw me. "You're not Callie." My throat ran dry and my words vanished. Callie? Callie Shaw? I decided to play dumb a little bit.

"Oh, sorry. I'm a friend of Ned's. I'm from across town and I'm staying for the weekend. You must be the roommate," I said and reached a hand out.

"Yeah, I'm Sam," He said and shook my hand.

"I'm Rebecca. Rebecca Addison," I said, quickly throwing out the first alias that came to mind. Sam seemed to buy it.

"Nice to meet you. That's pretty low of Ned, leaving you here while he's on a date. You met Callie? She goes to University of Bayport with Ned and I." I was at a loss for words.

"Yeah, a long time ago actually. I haven't seen her in years. Look, I'd love to stay and chat, but I forgot my phone and I should get back to my job. It was nice meeting you," I said with a genuine smile. Sam nodded in reply.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too. I'll let Ned and Callie know you're at work when they get back. I think Callie is making dinner tonight," Sam said with a smile. I nodded and with one last smile stepped outside. I didn't know what to do. For the first time in a very long time, I was stumped.

_Perhaps the best thing to do would be to confront Ned. After all, this could just be a huge mix-up, and I hate jumping to conclusions. _

I walked back across the street after I called my dad and let him know my plane landed fine and I was with Ned. But my feet stopped carrying me the minute I got a clear view of the bench I was sitting on not twenty minutes ago.

Callie Shaw was making out with Ned Nickerson on said bench.

My mouth hung open. I stood there for what felt like years, letting my heart shatter as they continued to smile at one another and kiss. They were completely oblivious to my presence from across the park. I turned my back with the desire to erase what I'd just seen from my memory. I glanced back up at the apartment. _I should get out of Ned's apartment first._

Tears blinded my vision as I crossed the street again. I kept my head down and continuously wiped the liquid from my eyes, trying to be strong. I sobbed quietly and walked even quicker towards the building. Since my head was down, I had no idea where I was going.

"Whoa!" I ran right into someone, knocking both of us down and spilling the contents of my purse. The stranger apologized quickly and started collecting my things.

"I'm so sorry Miss. I should've been more careful. Are you ok?" I didn't answer, as I was focused on putting everything back in my purse. "Miss? Are you alright?" I looked up at the stranger and my heart stopped. The stranger looked shocked.

"Frank?"

"Nancy?" I was again at a loss for words. "Oh my God, I can't believe you're in Bayport! What're you doing here?" His smile faded when he saw my tears. "Nance? Are you ok?" Frank helped me to my feet, but kept my hand in his. I continued to let my tears fall. "Ok, ok. It's ok. It's going to be alright." Frank wrapped his arms around me and I gripped his shirt tightly. "Hey, calm down. You're ok," Frank said and tilted my chin up to face him. I nodded slowly and reached up to brush my tears away, but Frank stopped me before I could. He lowered my hand and used his own hand to dry my tears. "Do you want to talk about it?" I shook my head.

"Not here," I replied.

"Ok. How long are you in town for?" Frank asked me, rubbing my back slowly.

"A few days," I replied with a sniffle.

"Alright. How about you come stay with me for a while and we can fix this, ok?" I nodded slowly, deciding Frank would be my best escape from Ned.

"My stuff is up in the building here. I'll go grab it and be down in a minute," I said quietly. Frank followed me into the lobby and waited on a couch for me. Using Ned's key, I snuck back up into his apartment, relieved to find Sam in the shower. I quickly packed the few things I had had a chance to unpack and set the keys on the kitchen counter. _If he can't get back in, that's not my problem. _I carried my suitcase downstairs with ease and found Frank still sitting on the couch. He jumped up and took the bag from me. I went to protest, but he stopped me.

"Come on Drew, you know me better than that," he teased warmly. Now that the tears had stopped for now, I was able to give a smile and a small chuckle in return. He led me to his car parked on the street and placed my suitcase in the trunk. I climbed into the car and Frank sat in the driver's seat. We were off towards Frank's apartment in no time.

"If you don't mind my asking Hardy, what were you doing out here?"

"Do I get to ask the same of you?" Frank asked.

"When you're not driving, I suppose so," I replied.

"Fair enough. I was walking to the park actually. I was going to meet up with Callie." A sinking feeling took to my gut for a number of reasons. How was I going to tell Frank about Callie? And this meant that I had interrupted their date and burdened Frank. _Great job, Drew. Nice going._

We pulled into a parking spot outside an apartment complex. Frank grabbed my bag out of the trunk for me and I had my purse over my shoulder. Frank had a phone in one hand and my bag in the other.

"I'm gonna call Callie real quick and let her know what's up. We can start walking to my apartment if you'd like," Frank offered. I nodded, knowing the call wasn't going to be a pretty one. He dialed her number and waited patiently for an answer.

"Hey, Callie. I'm really sorry, but something can up and I can't make our date tonight… No, an old friend needed my help," Frank gave a wink to me, "Yes, I'm sorry… I know you're upset… I'll make it up to you, ok?... ok, love you… bye," Frank finished. "Sorry about that," he apologized and fished a set of keys out of his pocket. I noticed a gold band hung around the key ring. A wedding band. I felt a smirk spread across my face as I thought of the wedding band that was on my right hand.

"No problem. Thank you for letting me stay," I replied with an honest smile.

"Of course Nance. It's been a long time since I've seen you as it is. Had anything valuable blown up lately? Met any new nurses or doctors down at the River Heights Hospital?" Frank asked teasingly and pushed the door open. He picked up my bag and followed me inside. He set my bag down by the door and turned to me.

"No new explosions, though the hospital did get a new lady to work the front desk. She hasn't quite warmed up to me yet, and she's not exactly 'up to speed' with the health of a detective," I said jokingly. Frank laughed and plopped down on his couch. _Maybe I should just get this over with…_

"Now, will you come join me on the couch, Miss Drew?" Frank asked. I smirked and plopped down next to him. "Care to state your business in Bayport?" The smirk on my face vanished. I looked down immediately.

"I, uh, I…" Frank's hand found mine and he laced our fingers together. It felt so natural to be hand in hand with him, something I found rare amongst the people I knew. Frank gave a reassuring squeeze.

"If you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to, Nan," Frank said. I shook my head.

"No, there's something you need to know. It's about Ned…" I carried on, trying to force the words out of my throat. "He's cheating on me," I finally confessed. Frank tensed up before wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"Aw, Nancy… I'm so sorry," Frank said and pulled me close. My body remained tense. I wasn't even to the worst part of the news… "Did you at least figure out who he was cheating on you with? The Nancy I know might've planned a bit of harmless revenge," Frank said teasingly and ran a hand through my hair calmly. I bit my lip.

"I actually knew her," I said quietly.

"Don't tell me she was one of your closest friends…" Frank trailed off.

"No, actually she was one of _your _closest friends."

"What?" Frank looked extremely confused. _I guess he has no clue…_ "Who was she?"

"You know, never mind. This is the wrong way to give you this information, and I'd feel bad-"

"Nance." I stopped talking and looked at Frank's warm brown eyes. I bit my lip harder. I had no idea this was going to be so hard. "Maybe if you told me who she was I could give an explanation as to what you saw?"

"Callie! It was Callie," I said, now looking at the floor. Frank froze.

"W-what?"

"Ned and Callie were on that bench," I said, frustratingly running a hand through my hair and leaning forward to place my elbows on my knees. Frank stood slowly.

"Nancy… are you sure?"

"I know what I saw Frank," I said boldly. He was wordless. Frank's breathing became heavy and he threw his hands into his hair. He looked everywhere but me. "Oh Frank, I'm so sorry…"

"It's ok Nan. I'm more worried about you than anything else," Frank replied, both hands on his hips. _He certainly looks good like that…_

"Me? Frank, your girlfriend is cheating on you…"

"With your boyfriend!" Frank finished. A smirk suddenly stretched across his face. He chuckled. I looked at him, completely bewildered.

"This is funny?" Another chuckle.

"What are the odds that your boyfriend would cheat with my girlfriend?" Once I heard his words, he had a valid point. The situation was a most interesting one. "Do you think they know about us? Do you think Callie knows she's cheating with your boyfriend?" That term relating to Ned started to sound extremely unpleasant.

"I'm not sure. Before Ned came here, he'd never met Callie."

"Same for Callie. She's never heard of Ned. She knew you had a boyfriend, but nothing past that," Frank explained.

"Same goes for Ned. He knew you had a girlfriend, but that's all the information I ever gave to him. It seemed to disperse his jealousy," I said, not even thinking about what I'd said. Frank stopped pacing and looking at me.

"Ned was jealous of me?"

"Hmmm? Oh. Well when I told him about Egypt, he was kinda upset…"

"So was Callie. Maybe this was for the best Nance," Frank said and sat down next to me again. "We could always call them?" I nodded.

"I'd like to figure out if they know who they're really dating," I said mischievously. I dialed Ned's number and placed the phone on the table. I made sure to turn speakerphone on so Frank could hear everything too.

"Nancy? I've been sitting on this bench for hours! I've been so worried! Where are you?" Ned asked. There was a female giggle in the background.

"Oh Ned, I'm so sorry. I ran into Frank Hardy and couldn't stop myself from getting lost in conversation," I replied, giving a smile to Frank.

"Frank Hardy?"

"Frank?" An extremely weary female voice was suddenly heard.

"Hold on," Ned said and we could hear whispering. Frank leaned forward now.

"Hey Ned. How's the date with my girlfriend going?" Frank asked. There was a silence.

"Yeah Callie. How's the date with my boyfriend?" I asked. Dead silence.

"Nancy, I, uh…"

"Oh save it Ned," I said before he rambled off any excuses. "I knew something was up the minute I got into Bayport."

"Frank?" Callie's voice came through the phone.

"Yes?" Frank answered.

"This isn't what it sounds like…" Callie carried on.

"Yeah, Frank. Look…" Ned tried. Frank laughed.

"It's fine. I've got Nancy. You've got Callie. That seems like a fair trade," Frank replied, now looking at me. We both leaned back into the couch and I snuggled up to Frank's side. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed my cheek.

"Whoa. Frank. Can't we talk about this? I mean, I don't even understand what happened…"

"Callie. Let's just say I ran into an old friend," Frank finished. "Goodbye you two!" Frank hung up the phone and turned to me. He leaned in close to me. "Miss Nancy Drew, may I call you mine?" I smiled.

"Frank Hardy, I've been yours since we set foot in that cabin at Mount Mirage," I replied, letting his lips meet mine. "Is that what I am to you? An old friend?" I whispered against his lips. He chuckled and tangled a hand in my hair.

"Oh Nancy Drew, after all those years of detective work, you should be able to see that you are so much more to me than just an old friend."

* * *

I kept reading all these Frank and Nancy stories and kept wondering when I was going to stumble across a situation like this. It surprised me that I never did, so ta-dah!

So good to have my muse back in town! Hopefully this time it won't run away so quickly :/

Again, in Secret of the Nile, Nancy and Frank had a total 'Daisygirl101 is going to beat you with a freaking frying pan if you don't kiss again and just get together dammit'. It's like they're just doomed to be separated like forever! I'm hoping that the PC games bring them together. Like. Soon.

Did the ending feel rushed? I'm not quite sure myself.


End file.
